3 December – 29th Anniversary

The last three days have been marking the 29^th anniversary of the gas explosion disaster. Many of the staff of Sambhavna have been involved in the preparation and the planning and will be attending all the events.

About a week ago, Mahindra, the pathologist, asked me to create a poster and gave me two sheets of an article about the fermentation and distillation of sugar and molasses to create industrial alcohol. It also included some details of the effluent(waste) produced and, in India at least, disposed of in the water courses. She was organising the poster exhibition which was to be mounted in a ‘tent’ in one of the main squares of Bhopal, Iqbal Maidan.

The display was not solely about the disasters, gas and water, but they wanted it to be wider than that and cover other industrial pollution and also chemicals in regular household products. I did a little extra research on the fermentation of sugar and managed to sketch, in pencil, a very simple idea for a poster. I am not an artist!

Then one afternoon, after the patients had left, she had a crowd of people in the meeting room repairing old posters and finishing new ones. I went along in some trepidation with my pencil sketch and spoke with Ritesh (research) who suggested that I finish itb with the pens and paint ‘over there’. This became a major challenge for me. However, my guardian artisitic angel must have been watching over me at that point as several young women walked along the path and stood to see what was happening. These were newly arrived students from America. “Is anyone a bit of an artist”, I enquired and there were some shrugged shoulders so I dragged them into the room (not physically I have to say) and they happily squatted down with pens to start. Others came in and set to helping to mend old posters. “Like being back in junior school”, I quipped, “using pens and glue – it doesn’t have to be done with a computer to be effective, does it?”

 

The girls made a total transformation of my design into something that could, loosely, be called an artwork – Nicole, Leah, Emma, Amy, you came to my rescue.

 Here is the poster,  in association with others in the display.

The display was there for two days, manned by Sambhavna staff – and even slept in overnight by our Indian volunteers, Deven and Harshit. There was also a film shown each evening as it got dark.

On the eve of the anniversary, there was a candle-light vigil in the same square quite near the poster exhibition. Even the fire brigade was in attendance. There was a  large press attendance for both events which has to be good.

 

After the vigil we took an auto-rickshaw part way home to join a torchlight procession. We arrived just in time to collect a couple of torches (Thorsten was with me) and joined the walk for a kilometre or two to the gates of the factory site. I was appropriated by a TV reporter with his sound man and gave a brief impromptu interview.

 

Not the best of pictures, but it gives an idea.

Tuesday dawned, anniversary day itself and many of us assembled much further away for a longer walk. Again ,many of the Sambhavna staff were there, it was almost like a day at work! Snack food was provided before we began and water on the way although it was a slightly overcast day most of the time, none the less both were very welcome. We were lead by a huge effigy of Warren Anderson, CEO of Union Carbide at the time and still living in a mansion in the US, I think on Manhatton Island, where he continues to avoid extradition with the complicity of the US government and courts.

There was much interest along the way, with smiles, acknowledgements, handshakes and waves from the watching crowds – an of course many, many pictures of the white walkers. There were several of us around that day though most were taking pictures for their various organisations.

Sathyu managed a few impromptu meetings on the way, spreading the word

  

The effigy was burned, somewhat unceremoniously at the end of the walk by the factory gates and the monument.

 AND SO ENDED THREE DAYS OF REMEMBRANCE

28 November - A Pachmarhi Incident

Last Sunday/Monday I went with 6 others from Sambhavna on a 2-day trip to Pachmarhi (Monday was election day so a public holiday). On the Monday, as we tripped around the hills I had an ‘interesting’ incident happen. This is a story from a healing point of view, but just as it happened, with no attempt at interpretation.

At one point we went to a place where the British used to take Indians to execute & throw them off a high cliff in to the deep crevassed valley below. It was a walk along a path and then a dried river bed, in the rainy season there must be a high waterfall here. The victims would have their hands and feet tied and a hood placed over their head, and they would have known exactly what was about to happen to them.

It is a lot further down than it looks in this photo.

As I stood looking right over the drop, the energy of the place felt very ‘odd’ to me, I cannot explain it better than that, so I sat down to do Reiki healing for the place and what had happened and to the people who had died as well as those who did the killing. I think I could feel anger, fear, cruelty stirring around the atmosphere.

Most of the others were playing cards at this time.

I looked up in the middle of this and there was a single eagle directly above me, seeming to circle on the up-flows. I carried on with the healing but only a minute or two later looked up again & the eagle was nowhere to be seen.

After I stopped, I felt a bit quiet but as we all started to walk away I got a feeling of deep sadness welling inside me. Later as we drove away this feeling disappeared.

Here we are leaving the cliff edge. Tabish in the green leading, then Dr Jay in a white shirt with Harshit just visible behind him, Biju and in the rear and the red, Deven.

24 November 2013 – There at Last

I’m a bit late with this blog. I was going to do it on the above date, had started even, but was whisked away with several guys on  a 2-day trip to Pachmarhi, an old hill station town.

The waiting area in Mumbai domestic terminal where I spent a happy hour or three.

 

Journey is as journey was and as I floated gently down through the clear blue sky to Bhopal airport I took a deep breath. For a small regional airport it has an amazingly modern looking terminal building. Once through though reality hits and I get a cab to take me the few kilometres into Bhopal centre. The cab dropped my by the Peoples’ Hospital on the Berasia Road (more of that later) and I made my way on foot through the streets I recognised slowly from my last trip. It all looks pretty much the same down these lanes at 07:30 in the morning.

Raj is on guard duty this morning and took me to the volunteer quarters where I met Devendra (Deven) and a pile on the bed that eventually turned into Harshit later that morning. We had an introductory chat, Deven and Harshit are both Indian and the first time I have come across Indian volunteers. Both have excellent English – fortunately!

Sathyu has arranged for me to occupy one of the guest rooms which at the moment is locked so I dump my things in the boys dorm and have a wander. Soon Deven and the guard unlock the room and I spent most of the morning rearranging it so there is a good floor space for my yoga practice. Nandkishore is still the cleaner on the first floor and we are pleased to meet, he instantly recognised me. Later he did a special clean on the bathroom. India is dry and naturally dusty so surfaces quickly acquire dust especially when unused, even for a mere day or two.

Over the next few days I was to meet many people still here and it is good to recognise and be recognised and welcomed. Many times I told what I have been doing in the intervening two years.

As I looked around my home for the next few months several things have changed. There is a new washing machine, a new water filter and a new gas hob. Last time my blog was being read by the spies of Dow Chemical, a company called Stratfor and in one of their reports they mentioned my comments about the (old) washing machine. So if you are reading this Stratfor, we have a new one with all the features of the old plus a neat fluff collector.

I started work on Saturday, having set up a table in the observation room where Shabnam works in the morning and Aziza in the afternoon. They are nurses and it is a busy room with injections, drips and oxygen being given so often it is bustling with people. It could be a source of new patients as They discuss with the nurse what I am doing and already two people have asked if I can help them. I send them to their doctor to get a referral before I can do that unless they are staff and one staff member started treatments yesterday. 

 My treatment area in the Observation room.

I’m Off (Nearly)

Well, here I am on the eve of my departure and just to make it fun London Transport has decided to close lots of tube lines tomorrow so the journey to Heathrow may be more difficult than the flight!

I have had an exciting day with friends and colleagues in the Professional Speaking Association in London but the way ‘home’ on the tube was somewhat like the game of sardines! ‘Home’ at the moment is in the London Stratford, not the Avon one, courtesy of my old friend Sanjay who has let me stay here after I left my lodging with Sandra. (Thanks for a year or so of house share, Sandra.)

I had an interesting time packing my belongings for store in Squab, just near Leamington. They have a box about 1.5 metres wide, 2 metres deep and maybe 2.5 metres tall and my boxes filled less than half. Two of my treatments tables have been lent to colleagues and one is with me here. The car, I have given to my neice. The tables I want back, the car I don’t. Apart from that I have just a few clothes with me here.

I am really lucky that on my return I can stay again here in London with Sanjay, or in Birmingham with my sister until I sort something more permanent – that’s ‘permanent’ in the Jarvie dictionary.

My visa came through last week after an epic struggle. Unwisely I had applied for the correct visa, an Employment visa, which is for voluntary work as well as paid work. But it just got too-oo-oo difficult so on a call to the High Commission from outside a café in the rain, I said I wouldn’t do any voluntary work, could I just have a Tourist visa. I had to swear in blood (I exaggerate, but only a little!) that I would not do any work. So if you plan to visit India, just go for a Tourist visa, it’s much simpler!

So, on Monday morning I will arrive in Bhopal. Sathyu is away that day at a court hearing so it could be an interesting time to arrive. Also they will be preparing for the 29^th anniversary – on 2/3 December and I wonder what demonstrations or performances are planned this year. The locals in Bhopal always hold some sort of remembrance.

Do stay with me on this blog and remember that the kindle of my last visit is on Amazon, called “3 Months in Bhopal” at only £1.54 and all profit goes to the BMA. If you want a chat while I am there, my Skype name is “Spineworks”, Bhopal is 4½ hours ahead of the UK so don’t make it too late.

I will sign off now and write again next Sunday.